


Sing Sweet Lullabies

by HyperionIssued



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: A LOT of violence, F/F, Jack is tired and depressed, M/M, Multi, Siren!Reader - Freeform, Slow Burn, There will be violence, a lot of bad memories, reader is a siren, reader is lonely and willing to give love, reader more or less is giong to take the lead in the romance stuff, there will be alcohol, there will be angst, there will be sexy stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2018-09-20 08:43:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9483410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperionIssued/pseuds/HyperionIssued
Summary: Reader is a siren on Elpis that decides to help Jack forget all of his woes from losing to lilith. All they want in return is love.





	1. Breaking Inside

**Author's Note:**

> This is the final freaking time I'm editing SSL chapter 1. I swear! I love it all the way. I won't change it again. It's staying. Please enjoy.

Jack stared at the ceiling above him, rapping his fingers against his stomach impatiently. He didn't dare look at the clock beside his bed. He didn't know how many hours had passed. He wasn't even sure if hours had passed. For all he knew, only a few minutes had gone by since he'd lain down. He swallowed harshly and turned onto his side, gripping his pillow. "Sleep...." He muttered lightly to himself. This was a nightly ritual at this point in his life. He had to convince and lie to himself about what he might see when he closes his eyes. Sometimes, he succeeds and falls asleep with ease but more often than not, he ends up just laying there until his body can no longer function without actual sleep. 

Sleep was one of the few things Jack wished for anymore. Even then, he was fearful of it. Sleep meant dreams, dreams meant nightmares, nightmares meant he'd see them again. Some of his scientists gave him pills so he wouldn't remember the dreams.... or maybe they were supposed to keep him from dreaming all together. He couldn't really tell because they never worked. Useless scientists. Every night, without fail, he'd have the same nightmare, followed by the same panic attack, followed by the same sulking fit. How long had this been going on? Three whole years. That's right. Three entire years of maybe three, four if he was lucky, hours of sleep every night. Even he was beginning to think it was a miracle he was still alive. Tonight would be no different from the others. 

Jack pressed his nose into his pillow and squeezed his eyes shut. "Come on Jack. You can do this. Just sleep." He commanded himself. "They're just dreams. Nothing else." He mumbled into the pillow. If he failed to actually sleep again, this would be the third night in a row now. He'd have to tell Timothy to take his place again in the office. The thought of having his double do all of his work again annoyed him. Timothy was too easy going. He let his employees get away with to many fuck ups. 

He groaned loudly to himself and rolled onto his other side dramatically. "Come on damn it!" He punched his pillow slightly before cramming his face into it. It was reaching that point where he was tempted to look a the time again. No. He shook his head and pressed his face deeper into the pillow. Maybe if he suffocated himself long enough, he'd pass out? Not even a second later, Jack sat up with a frown. "Well that's an unhealthy thought." He said in a dull tone. The lack of sleep was clearly clouding his better judgment. 

Turning onto his back once more, Jack gave a long sigh. "Alright..... just breathe." Again, he shut his eyes and took in a deep breath through his nose. He let a slow exhale and allowed his body to ease the mattress. He repeated this motion until he felt completely relaxed. It took a while but he managed it after five minutes. Once he was completely relaxed, he slowed his breathing. "Okay...." He sighed out. "You're alright...." He soothed feeling sleep actually starting to take him. He gave a low yawn and slowly turned onto his side once more. He remained like that as sleep finally took over. 

\--

"Jackie....." A familiar voice cooed into his ear lightly. He jerked his head away from the voice, his brows coming together. "Look at you, sleeping so soundly...." The voice spoke again, colder this time. He frowned and turned onto his side. "Tell me, Handsome..... What's it like sleeping so peacefully knowing you let them kill me?" The voice hissed out. He pressed his face deep into his mattress, attempting to hide himself. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" It screeched. Two cold hands slammed down on his chest, making him jump and open his eyes. 

Nisha's piercing golden eyes stared down at him. "That's better." His gut twisted a the sight of her. Blood coated her stomach and chest. What little was on her face was smeared down her cheek. She looked exactly like she had when they killed her. "When "they" killed me?" She questioned, lifting her brow. "You mean when YOU killed me." She growled, her hands darting to his wrists. She gripped them harshly, digging her nails into his flesh. He winced and tried to pull away but found himself unable to move. "You did this to me, Jack. You let them kill. And what was you're response? "That's actually starting to piss me off."." She mocked perfectly in his voice.

He stared at her, unable to speak. "But let's not forget everyone else you got killed. I was nothing compared to her." A cruel Cheshire grin spread across her face. He wanted to shake his head and beg for forgiveness but nothing came. All he could do was blink. He squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed harshly. He could just ignore them. They'd go away. 

"Don't ignore me, daddy." A sweet childish voice called. He began to tremble. He knew who was next to torment him. He couldn't bear it. He didn't want to see. "You don't want to see me?" The voice sobbed making his heart ache. Then he felt the tears. He flinched as they landed on his cheeks. Jack hesitantly opened his eyes, knowing there was no way he could avoid her. 

Round, teary blue eyes greeted him. He opened his mouth to say her name but nothing came again. Angel stared down at him, her tears quickly drying. "Yay! You opened your eyes!" She beamed. This was the part of his nightmares that killed him most. This was before he did all of those horrible things to her. This was Angel as a child. Still innocent, still happy, and still alive. Her small hands ran over his face, touching his scar. 

"Daddy, why do you look so sad?" She asked, sweetly. He wanted so badly to wake up now. He knew what was going to happen. He'd seen this so many times now. "Are you sad because you lost?" Angel questioned, the bright gleam in her eyes slowly dying. "Are you sad because you didn't get to be the hero?" Her voice began to change now. It was deeper, more grown. Out of instinct, Jack shut his eyes again. He couldn't look at her. He just couldn't see what he'd done to her. Not her. "Or are you sad that your vault battery is gone?" She asked darkly.

Jack finally managed to shake his head. "Please stop...." He whispered out, turning his head away. "I don't... I can't..." He choked out. "I'm not going to stop." She assured. "I'm not going to stop until you feel the pain I felt." Then he felt her hands wrapping around his throat. "I want you to know just how much I suffered. Up until the very end." She hissed, her grip tightening. "You caused me so much pain, I believed the only way I'd escape was death." Jack opened his eyes again and flinched. He took in her tired worn appearance. Dark circles under her eyes. The ports on the side of her head. Then finally, the dull blue of her eyes. The was the polar opposite of her child self. " Who do you think made me look like this? You're not a hero. You're an asshole." She squeezed his throat tightly. He struggled to breath, attempting to twist away. Nisha's bloodied hands held his arms down, keeping him from moving. 

"Sup Handsome." Jack all but froze at Lilith's voice. He swallowed harshly, his body trembling again. Here came the final, most physically painful, part of the nightmare. He wished he could prepare himself for it but there was never enough time. There was no avoiding it. He glanced up, seeing the vault relic in front of his face. Past it, he could see Lilith running at him. He struggled to get out of Angel and Nisha's grip as she came closer. His eyes went wide as he watched her ball her fist and reel it back. Her knuckled connected with the relic and everything went white.

\--

Jack's eyes shot open as he felt a ghosting pain throb through his skull. It mimicked the pain he felt when he first received the scar. Out of instinct, he attempted to cover his face with his hands. During his nightmare, however, he'd managed to tangle himself in his sheets. When he felt the restraint on his arms and legs, his panic attack went into full swing. He began to thrash about, struggling to free himself. "Aurgh!!!!" He squirmed and writhed, slowly moving himself closer and closer to the edge of his monstrous mattress. 

He finally managed to free one of his hands from their silky bindings after a few angry tugs. He was able to tear away the rest of the sheets afterwards, actually tearing them in the process. He didn't really give a damn about that though. They could easily be replaced. Right now, his mind was going a mile a minute. He had to get out of the bed and get something cold on his face. He fumbled about, trying to figure out where his nightstand. In the action of feeling around, Jack slammed his wrist against the corner of his nightstand. He let out a pained hiss and cupped his injured wrist. 

"Son of a-" The side of his mattress finally gave way, letting his knee drop and the rest of him topple to the ground. He hit the ground roughly, giving a pained groan. This was possibly one of Jack's most ungraceful moments. If he wasn't still floundering about, he might have felt embarrassed. With sloppy execution, Jack got to his feet and stumble his way to the bathroom. As he made his way to the bathroom, Jack bumped into a dresser then the door frame to said bathroom. He grumbled angrily to himself until he felt the cool texture of the tiles under his feet. 

Reaching out, he groped the wall in hopes of finding the light switch before he hurt himself anymore. Relief hit him as his fingers brushed over the switch and the lights came on. He was blinded for a moment but he knew the lay out of his bathroom well enough to find the sink. He hastily turned it on and began to splash water over his face. The cold water instantly soothed the ghosting burn in his scar. He let out a long sigh as he ran his hands over his face a final time. Jack looked at himself in the mirror and flinched at how tired he looked. 

Deep dark circles sat perfectly under his eyes, reminding him just how tired he was. Jack gave a low frustrated whine as he rubbed his eyes. He looked like a walking corpse at this point. He hated it. He reached over and grabbed a small towel and wiped his face, muttering to himself. "Lets see how long I made it this time...." With great hesitation, Jack tossed the towel away and stepped out of the bathroom. 

"Please... let it be time for coffee and work...." He whispered to himself as he moved back to his bed. He flopped down on it's edge and snagged the alarm clock. He took a deep breathe, then looked at the time. 7:30 am.

He let out his held breath and gave a slight smile. "Oh my god, yes." He set the clock down haphazardly and stood. He headed back into the bathroom to start his day. He wasn't actually sure how long he slept, nor did he care. He wanted nothing more than to go to his office and forget himself in paperwork. Sleep was overrated anyways. Showers, however, were a blessing.

Jack eagerly turned on the shower and stepped in. Warm water greeted him. He gave a content sigh as it ran down his shoulder and back. Nothing made him feel better than a nice, warm shower. He could feel some of the stiff muscles in him ease from the heat. He was very certain he'd never be free of the knots in his back. He'd never allow anyone to rub them out for him; too close, too personal, and too easy to kill him. 

He dumped shampoo into his palm and began to work it into his scalp. The shower was really the only time he felt as though he could truly relax. The sound of water hitting tile was the perfect background noise to him. He didn't have to listen to silence or his own thoughts. He could just concentrate on cleaning himself or the water soothing him. Not to mention, it was the one place he knew no one could call him and inform him of bad news. Too many times had meg called him while he was eating breakfast or just sitting in his living room to inform him someone blew this up, someone was eaten by that, the bandits did this, blah blah blah. Here, he didn't have to worry.

As Jack rinsed out the suds in his hair, he couldn't help but notice the grey in his hair. He pinched the slowly expanding grey piece and stared at it. Part of him wanted to be mad at the grey. He wasn't THAT old. It was from stress. While he'd never admit it out loud, Jack was always feeling some sort of stress. It was usually the lack of sleep that made him the most stressed but other things could be played in as well. "I'll make a good silver fox." He chuckled to himself as he slicked back the piece with the rest of his hair. 

\-----

Once Jack finished his morning routine, he made his way to his office. He stood in personal elevator, lucky pistol at his side and his mask in place, tapping his fingers against his sleeve. While he was very unaware of how much sleep he got the previous night, he felt rather alive and awake. Maybe today would be a somewhat decent day. He'd get his work done early, no one would come tell him they screwed up, and he could just go home early and eat crappy pretzels. He inhaled deeply and put on his best smirk as the elevator came to a stop. "Time to go to work."

Meg was sitting calmly at her desk, typing away at god knows what. As he strolled out of the elevator, she hopped up from her desk, fumbling with a stack of papers. "Handsome Jack, sir! Good morning!" She quickly stepped around her desk and began to follow him. "Whatcha got for me, Debbie?" "I-its Meg, sir, and I have a few proposals involving Maliwan, Torgure, and Jakobs. Then there are some projects that need your approval. And finally, An echo recording from Elpis that arrived last night. I was informed it may be urgent." 

Jack glanced down at everything occupying her hands. Sitting neatly on top of the paper was an echo recorder. "May be urgent? Meg, it's either urgent or not." He stopped in front of his office door, holding out his hand. "Hand 'em over." He ordered, motioning impatiently with his fingers. Meg nodded and set the papers in his hand. "Is there anything else I can get you, sir?" Jack looked over the handful of papers before glancing at her from the corner of his eyes. "Where's my morning coffee, Meg?" He questioned coldly. 

Meg froze like a deer in headlights. "O-Oh! Your coffee! I-I.... um..." She replied nervously. Jack barked out a laugh, startling her out of her stupor. "Ah ha ha ha ha!" He reached over, smacking her shoulder. He looked to her. "The look on your face just now... priceless." He chuckled, pushing his door open. Meg gave a half hearted laugh, fiddling with her blouse. He paused before stepping in. "Why are you still standing there? Go get my coffee!" He barked, making her jump. "Yes, sir!" She bowed her head and darted for the elevator. He watched her leave, chuckling to himself. Seeing his employees scurry away like that always made him feel better. 

He shook his head, still chuckling to himself as he stepped into his office. 

\-------

Hours went by as Jack went through each proposal, hating each one more than the last. The only one that interested him was Torgue's, but that was only because his proposal involved blowing people up. He might have considered Jakob's proposal if had involved mixing their styles. Hyperion's tech mixed with Jakobs fast shooting action. It would be extremely deadly. It was a shame Jakobs refused to mix the two. Truly a waste of talent.

He'd also gone through the projects. Most he had approved. One was for starting eridium and slag experiments on kragons and bullymongs. He really looked forward to seeing his scientist attempt to do anything with a bullymong. He'd have to make sure to get some popcorn for that show. The other projects involved updating the loader bots, do more research on the damage the eye of Helios caused on Elpis, sending more elite men to defend the labs on Pandora, and finally, possibly bringing back the claptrap units. He stared at the final project and pinched the bridge of his nose, giving a hard, annoyed sigh. Leaning over, he pressed his comm button.

"Meg, send some guards to go collect the idiot that put in this claptrap request and have them throw him into the corrosive skag pit." "Yes, sir." She answered immediately. He crumpled the paper into a ball and looked to the trash bin on the other side of the room. With complete concentration, Jack tossed the crap proposal at the bin. He watched with anticipation as it flew and bounced on the edge of the bin. It rolled around the wall of the bin before disappearing into it. "Yes!" He shot up from his seat, arms going in triumph. 

"Sir?" Meg appeared in the doorway, a confused look on her face. Jack quickly sat back down, clearing his throat. "Yes? What? How long have you been there?" She rubbed her arm. "Not very long, sir." She bit her lip. "U-Um.... Handsome Jack, sir?" She looked at him with apologetic eyes. "What, meg?" He asked, deadpanning. He could take a few wild guesses at what she was about to tell him. "Mr. Schleek and Mr. Long are here from R&D. They requested an audience from you a few weeks back." She rubbed her arm again, looking down. Jack starred at her for a long moment, trying to decide if he should yell at her or not. Part of him told him yes because she failed to do her one job, tell him about him every part of his daily schedule. The other part of him said, screw it. He was tired of reading over papers anyways. All he had left out of the pile she gave him was the echo recorder.

With a slight shrug, Jack leaned back in his seat. "Send them in." He set one leg over the other and waited. Meg looked at him, surprised by his lack of anger. She didn't say anything about it however. She was smart enough to accept whatever Jack did. "Right away, sir." She pushed the door open wider, allowing the two researchers into his office. 

Two rather geeky looking men walked it. One carried himself like he were royalty, while the other more or less trembled behind him. Jack could already tell this could go one of two ways; one, they were about to bore the hell out him with factoids he could honestly care less about, or, two, they were about to enrage him like many other had before. Maybe, if he were unlucky, it'd be a double whammy and he'd be both bored and annoyed. 

\-----------

Boredom won this round. Jack stared blankly at the two men before him, his cheek being pressed up by his palm. He blinked slowly, completely oblivious to a single word they said to him. He wasn't sure how long they'd been rambling on and he really didn't care. He had tuned out about five minutes into their lecture. If he really thought about it, he could recall the original topic involved eridium based bombs. That was the only thing that caught his attention, before immediately losing it again. They started off strongly but then started going on about facts and number that didn't involve money. 

Hell, if Jack was honest with himself, he couldn't remember their names. Was it something like Shill? No... Sheek? Maybe? The other was something simple and sort of stupid. Lean? No but close. It was.... Long! Ha! That's what it was. Wait, why was he trying to remember their names? He didn't give a crap about their names. He did however give a crap about his valuable time, which they just so happened to be wasting. Maybe they weren't wasting his time. Maybe they were back to the fun explosion part of the lecture. Jack allowed himself to hear them once more, hoping that they were talking about something useful. 

"And if you see the graph on this paper, you can see how much the eridium would boost the longevity of slag bombs." Nope. Brain cells dying. Jack quickly tuned them back out. He scrunched up his face slightly at the small headache he received from just hearing that single sentence from Mr.Schleek. He couldn't handle this much longer. They just kept going and going. He wanted them to get to the freaking point already.

Jack stood abruptly, startling the two. "Alright. I get it already. Eridium will make the explosion last longer or something. I don't freaking care!" He threw his hands up before bringing them back down over his face. He groaned into his palms, rubbing his face. He looked at the two of them, lowing his hands. "Why is you idiots feel the need to waste my time like this? What is so hard about just telling me you want to use eridium in bombs. How hard is it to tell me you want to use MY money for your potentially stupid idea? Why is that SO HARD?!" He roared, slamming his hands on his desk. 

Both men shrank back, unsure of what to say. Jack rolled his eyes and stood tall again. "Alright. Here's how this is going to work." He walked around his desk calmly, his shoulders tense once more. So much for the relaxing day. Long, the shorter of the two ironically, began to tremble again as Jack approached him. "You're going to get the money and eridium you need to test out your little ideas. Why? Because I'm extremely generous." Jack stopped in front of his desk, turning to face the two. 

"Really? That's wonderful!" Mr. Schleek gave a pleased smile. "We won't disappoint you, si-" Jack chuckled, leaning against his desk. "We? Oh ho. No no. Ya see, that's where you're wrong kiddos." Jack gave a cruel smile. "Only one of you is going to be doing this project. The other is... how should I put it?" He paused and tapped his chin. "The other is going to be painting my walls a new shade of red for wasting my time." Both paled as his words sank it. He chuckled darkly, watching them both closely. "Now, which one of you values your life more?" Neither gave a response, they merely stood there with fear etched into their faces. 

Jack gave a long sigh. "Alright. Then I'll pick." He quickly drew his gun, pointing it at Schleek first. "Eany, meany, miney." He switch back and forth between the two before aiming at Mr. Long. "You." Long gasped before Jack pulled the trigger, splattering his brains everywhere. Schleek flinched as blood splashed onto his face and gave a high pitched shriek. Jack cringed at the noise the man made. Long's body hit the ground with a loud thud followed by the fluttering of the papers he once held in his hands. "Congratulations, kiddo." He reached over and patted the terrified man on the back. "You won!" He laughed, tucking his pistol back into it's holster. Schleek looked at him with wide eyes, his entire body trembling. 

"T-T-Thank you, s-sir." He gave a forced smile, glancing back at his dead partner. Jack gave a slight hum of acknowledgment as he strolled back around to his chair. "You can go now." Jack dismissed him as he sat down. Schleek nodded, still staring at the body beside him. Jack frowned and rolled his eyes. "Are you deaf?! I said get lost!" He boomed, shaking Schleek from his stupor. The man wasted no time making a run for the door. He fumbled with the door before throwing it open and darting past Meg. 

Jack laughed, setting his hands behind his head. "Classic." He remarked. Meg watched him for a second before reaching to shut the door. "Hey, pumpkin." Jack called, making her stop. "Yes, Handsome Jack, sir?" She gulped. "Do I have any other appointments today?" He questioned with a deadly gleam in his eyes. "N-No, sir! That was the only one scheduled for today." She confirmed with a small smile. "Great!" Jack leaned back in his seat and kicked his feet up onto his desk. "Let's keep it that way. Think you can handle that?" 

"Yes, sir. No more meetings." She nodded. "I-is there anything else I can get you, sir?" She dared to ask. Jack looked down at the dead body on his floor. "Call one of the janitors for me." Meg looked down, completely oblivious to the body until now. She turned a light shade of green and nodded. "Right way." With that, she quickly shut the door, leaving Jack to himself. He gave a pleased sigh and eased into his chair again., shutting his eyes for a brief moment.

\----

Jack's head slowly lolled to the side before slipping out of his palm, startling him from the small nap he had apparently taken. He gripped the arms of his chair, sitting himself up right. Standing before him was a tall, lanky man with cybernetics. The man stared at him wide eyed, as if caught in the act of doing something bad. "Who the hell are you?" Jack growled. The man clutched the mop in his hands. "R-rhys, sir. I-I'm the janitor you called for." He stuttered out. Jack rose a brow, looking him over again. "How long have you been here?" 

Rhys glanced to the door before looking back at his boss. "For a-about the last three minutes." Jack glanced down at the floor. "Three minutes and you've already cleaned up most of the mess?" He stood up from his seat, walking around to the boy. Rhys took a half step back, looking anywhere but at Jack. Jack got close and personal, looking him over a final time. Rhys managed to muster enough courage to look at him, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Good job, Rhysie." He stepped back, giving the janitor enough space to breathe again. "Fast worker. I can appreciate that." jack crossed his arms and watched him. Rhys swallowed again before continuing to clean up the rest of the blood. Jack was pleased by the fact he didn't even have to tell the kid to get back to work. 

"So tell me, cupcake. What's a bit of cybernetics like you doing as a janitor? Parts like yours look like their more suited for programming or accounting." Jack noted. Rhys stiffened for a moment before continuing to work. "I was a programmer actually." He admitted, making Jack raise a brow. "Was? What do you mean was?" There was zero reason for this kid to go from Code monkey to janitor willingly. Someone had to of demoted him, for their sake it had better been for a good reason. Jack was the only one who could be demoting people on Helios. Even then, it was more likely someone be shot over receiving and actual demotion. 

Rhys wiped up the rest of the blood and stood. "Um, yeah. I was a programmer until my new boss moved me to... well, janitor." He explained, checking over his work to make sure he didn't miss anything. "And who might this "new boss" be, exactly?" Jack, more or less, demanded. The boy looked up at him, a small spark in his eye. "Hugo Vasquez, sir." He said the name bitterly. The name sounded familiar but Jack couldn't really put his finger on it. "And how did he get his new position? I think I'd remember promoting someone with the name Hugo." That was a lie. Jack would never remember someone's name just because he gave them a promotion. He'd only put effort into knowing the names of those who've actually been useful to him personally. He strolled around to his chair again and began to look up Hugo, along side of Rhys.

"He vented my old boss into space." Rhys stated bluntly, stopping Jack from typing. "Excuse me?" He looked up from his screen. The boy shrugged. "Assquez vented my old boss, Henderson.... I mean Hugo!" Rhys tried to correct himself but it was too late. Jack barked out a laugh, slapping his hand over the side of his face. "Assquez?! Oh my god, kiddo, That is freaking hilarious!" He resumed his search, still laughing to himself about the nickname the kid had given this guy. 

When the picture of Hugo came up, Jack burst out laughing once more. "No way! Wallet head!" He slouched in his chair, laughing hysterically. "I can't believe it! Ha ha ha ha ha!" Jack hugged his sides, unable to control himself. Rhys hesitantly moved closer, leaning over his desk to view his screen. "Wallethead?" He dared to ask while cracking a small smile. 

"Yeah! That's wallet head! He used to work in the mailroom. He used to be bald! He was going through these hair implants and every time I saw him I'd stick money to his head!" Jack laughed out, slamming his fist against his desk. Now it was Rhys' turn to laugh. He didn't laugh as hard as Jack did, to keep from embarrassing himself in front of his hero. "You're joking." He chuckled out. Jack looked to him. "Would I lie to you, kiddo?" Jack reached over to his comm. "Hey meg. I need you to send up Hugo Vasquez. like now." Jack chuckled out. "Yes, sir."

Rhys looked to him with confusion. Jack waved him off. "Don't worry pumpkin. You're going to love this."

\----

They both waited patiently for Hugo to arrive. Jack had a smirk on his face the moment the man slipped into his office. He glanced to Rhys before looking back to Hugo. Hugo had a confident smirk on his face until he noticed the lanky boy beside his superior. "WalletHead! So good to see you!" Jack greeted him with a wicked grinned. "Handsome Jack, sir. It's always a pleasure to see you." Hugo nervously replied. "What can I uh... do for you, sir?" He asked hesitantly as he stood before his boss, his eyes still lingering on Rhys. 

"Well, Rhysie here just told me about your little promotion and I must say, Vasquez, I'm a little impressed." Jack chuckled, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his desk. Hugo blinked for a moment before putting on his best smirk. "Really, sir? That means a lot to me." He gushed. Rhys rolled his eyes and silently gagged to himself. Jack chuckled again, glancing to the lanky boy. 

"Yes. I'm actually impressed.... by your stupidity." Jack emphasized darkly. Hugo's smirk instantly, making Rhys crack a smile. "Uh... what?" Hugo responded dumbly. Jack leaned back in his seat, setting one leg over the other. "Not only did you believe you could get away with demoting another employee, who has clearly outranked you in just about everything, but you also felt the need to vent Henderson. Do you see the problem here, wallet head?" Jack cocked his eyebrow, waiting for a response. Hugo stood there with his mouth slightly agape. 

Jack clicked his tongue against his teeth, shaking his head. "The problem is you seem forget yourself." He informed with a slight chuckle. "I'm the boss here, Assquez. I'm the one who vents employees and I'm the one that decides who gets a promotion." Hugo gulped, worry showing in his eyes. "Please don't kill me, sir." He pleaded. Jack barked out a laugh, smacking Rhys' arm. "Did you hear that? He thinks I'm going to kill him. Ha!" Jack snorted, shaking his head. Rhys gave an unsure smile, completely unaware of what Jack was actually going to do.

"I'm not going to kill you, dumb-dumb." Jack assured him. Hugo perked at the news. "I'm demoting you to janitor." Jack continued. Rhys looked to his boss with surprise. Hugo's shoulder slumped. "J-Janitor?" He repeated. "That's right. Janitor... for the stalker enclosure." He added casually. Hugo became pale at the added information. "Y-you can't- I..." "Oh I can, and I did." Jack reminded. 

"Now if I recall correctly, it's about time for the stalkers to be finished eating their afternoon meals." He mentioned as he glanced at the time on his computer. "You have about twenty minutes to get down there. They get a little cranky if their habitat is dirty for more than a few minutes." He grinned at Hugo. The man stood there, mouth open as if he wanted to say something, but nothing game. "You've got five seconds to get out of my office before I change my mind about killing you." Jack deadpanned, startling both Hugo and Rhys. 

"Y-yes, sir!" He turned and quickly made his way to the door. Rhys watched his boss of maybe two hours disappear through the large office door, completely blown away by the events he just witnessed. Jack laughed lightly to himself, turning his chair to face the moon just outside of his window. "Assquez." he snorted again, shaking his head. "Ah I can't tell you how good that felt, Rhysie. I needed that." Rhys shook himself from his stupor and smiled. "You and me both." He joked. 

Jack gave a small hum, turning to look at his computer again. Rhys' profile was still up. Jack was impressed by his many achievements. It reminded him of when he was a code monkey. He could understand why the boy was so eager to put Hugo in his place. Rhys made him feel a little nostalgic. As he looked over the profile a final time, Jack gave another small hum. "I'm feeling overly generous today, Rhysie. You still want that promotion?" Jack's eyes flickered to the boy. 

Rhys was suddenly beaming. "Are you being serious?" He grinned. Jack laughed. "Of course I am." Jack assured him, his grin in place again. "I am expecting only the best from you though. If you don't think you can handle that-" "I can handle it." He interrupted excitedly. "You'll only received the best from me. one hundred percent." Jack laughed again, leaning back in his seat. "I may also come to you for a favor later." He added casually. Rhys only nodded. "Anything you need, I'll get it." 

"That's what I like to hear. Now, why don't you go clear out wallet head's desk. I'm sure you're dying to vent it or maybe toss it into the stalker pit." Jack chuckled again. Rhys nodded, a smile still on his face. "Right away, Sir." With that, Rhys turned and headed for the door. "Hey!" Jack stopped him from his desk. "Drop the, Sir, crap. Hate that. Call me Jack." He pointed a finger gun at the boy. "Of course, si- I mean, Jack." He quickly corrected before leaving. 

\----------

Jack read over the final project proposal with tired eyes. He'd gone over about two others since that kid left. This last one was much longer than he would have preferred but he managed to read through it all. By the end of it, he decided they earned his approval. They were on point, gave many examples, and had amusing side notes. Setting the paper on his desk, he grabbed a pen and began to scribble down his signature. He gave the paper a final once over, reader the name of the one who proposed the idea. "Eliza... Sounds like a kid name." He mused lightly before pushing the paper away. 

With a slight groan, Jack rubbed his eyes. All of the energy he felt this morning had been slowly drained. He knew it would eventually hit him, he had just hoped it wouldn't have been so soon. He gave a light groan at the thought of having to read over another paper. Glancing to the corner of his desk, relief hit him as his eyes landed on the echorecorder. "Thank freaking god." He gave a half smile and pulled the small device closer. 

Reaching over, he grabbed his luke-warm cup of coffee and settled into his seat. Might as well be comfortable while he listened to this "possibly urgent" recording. He snorted and shook his head. "Possibly urgent. Twenty credits says it's some employee claiming he found a new vault key." He lazily pressed the play button and sipped his coffee. 

"Handsome Jack, sir, This is officer Claude reporting in. I tried contacting you sooner to inform you we've found a new siren." 

Jack sucked in the coffee harshly, making him choke. He began to cough, spilling his coffee over his lap and desk. 

"They've been sighted many times in the cryo crisis bar, in Concordia. I personally have seen them and strongly believe they have zero intention of hiding. As a matter of fact, they've invited many of the researchers and guards to come inside and watch their show."

Jack smacked his chest, coughing the remaining bit of coffee he inhaled out. "S-show?" He wheezed out with a raised brow. 

"Sir, I've witnessed one of their shows and..... it... it was almost life changing. I don't know what kind of power they have but... their voice it.... I... I don't even know how to explain it. I highly suggest someone be sent to investigate. Someone possibly deaf."

Jack grabbed the Jakobs proposal off of his desk and used it to wipe away the coffee he spilt on himself and the desk. "Deaf? What the heck?" he questioned, utterly confused. 

"I would go again but I fear I wouldn't bring back anything useful. They'd starting singing again and I'd... forget." The man on the recording mumbled that last part, his mind obviously elsewhere. "Again, send someone to investigate. Officer Claude out." With that, the echo ended and silence filled the room once more. Jack finished cleaning himself and his desk off just after the recording ended. He looked at the wet paper in his hand and shrugged before tossing it into the garbage. He turned his attention back to the echo and shifted in his seat.

A new siren? Already? Impossible. He sat back in his seat, wracking his brain for some sort of answers. Claude said the siren was hanging out at a bar, right? It was probably some weirdo with blue tattoos, pretending to be a siren. That had to be it. They were just getting drunk at some bar. The "siren" was probably secretly stealing from them or something in their drunken state. That had to be what was happening. There was no way a new siren would show up and be inviting people to come meet them. 

"Send someone to investigate. Bah." Jack rolled his eyes, shaking his head in disapproval. Like hell he'd someone to go investigate some silly bar patron. What kind of fool did they think he was? He shook his head again, this time giving a fake chuckle. He sat there, rubbing his chin still. "They just want another one of their buddies down there to drink with them...." As he thought to himself, he felt his mouth go a little dry. A drink did sound nice. Some hard whiskey with some crappy music playing in the background.... When was the last time Jack had actually left Helios to just roam? Hell, when was the last time he left Helios for anything other than work?

Maybe a little adventure on Elpis would help him relax again. Being cooped up in his office all day was probably very unhealthy and maybe one of the reasons he couldn't sleep properly. Even if it didn't end up helping him relax, a drink at the bar he built would be fun for a while. 

With a smirk, Jack pressed the comm button on his desk. "Meg." "Y-yes sir?" His PA responded immediately. "Clear my schedule. I'll be heading to Concordia for the next.... let’s say four days." "Elpis? Is this regarding the echorecording, sir?" She questioned. "What if it is?" He snapped. "Are you questioning me, meg?" He growled into the comm. "N-No, sir! I'll have the schedule cleared immediately!" She answered back, followed by the sound of shuffling before the call ended. 

Jack stood from his chair and headed towards the door. He had to change out of his damp clothing before heading off to Elpis. Can't have fun in coffee stained clothing.

\----------

Jack rolled his shoulders as the fast travel finished transferring him into Concordia. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I almost missed the feeling of fast travel." he mutter to himself. He glanced around, taking in the new look Concordia had. After Jack saved Elpis, the people of Concordia gladly elected to be one of the first cities he remodeled. They were more or a less a prototype for Opportunity. He frowned at the thought of his destroyed city. So much potential wasted because of those stupid- No! Stop it! Don't think about them. Jack shook his head and slicked back his hair. He was here to, more or less, relax. He wasn't going to think about them. He wasn't going to think about work. He was just going to spend the next few days in a fancy hotel, drinking away all stress he felt. 

First things first, find Cryo Crisis and give his employees a good scare, if not murder one or two of them, for slacking with their work. He put on his famous cocky smirk and began to swagger down the streets of Concordia. People recognized him the moment they saw him. Some gawked, other gushed, and some hid. Seeing their reactions gave him a complete ego boost. He felt a slight rush of energy return to him as he passed the crowds. 

As he walked, he tried to remember where Cryo Crisis was. It took him a good moment to remember that it was Balloon Tit's old bar. He chuckled to himself. "Of course the "siren" is hanging out there." It wasn't the fanciest bars in Concordia. If he recalled correctly, it wasn't even a bar anymore. It was more a club than anything else. It was for the younger crowd. A loud place they could go and drink away the night without a care in the world. 

After five minutes of wandering about, Jack finally found the place. The bright blue sign lit up the entire walk way, attracting anyone close by. It was a familiar blue but he didn't know why it was familiar. It was a nice contrast to Moxxi's flirtatious Up and Over sign. Most of Concordia has a more pristine look to in under Hyperion's rule. it no longer had the rustic, sin city feel about it. Jack eyed the small line outside of the club and sighed. No way in hell he was going to wait in line. 

He puffed up his chest slightly and strolled right up to the bouncer. "Hey cupcake. Wanna step aside for me. I don't do lines." He spoke confidently, glancing past the tall man a few times. The man, Hammer as his shirt said, looked Jack over with an unimpressed frown. "And why would I do that?" He boomed, crossing his arms. Jack had to do a double take at the man. Was he an idiot? Judging by his name, yes. 

"Because I'm Handsome Freaking Jack, that's why! Now unless you want a bullet in that thick skull of yours, I suggest you move." Jack snarled, his hand lingering over the pistol at his side. Hammer froze the moment he heard the name. He looked Jack over once more, as if not even registering the first time who he was. "Oh! Handsome Jack!" The man gave a nervous chuckle, stepping aside. "I didn't recognize you for a minute. Sorry about that." He gestured for Jack to enter. "That's what I thought." Jack smirked and walked past the man, his ego boosting once more. 

Loud music greeted Jack as he stepped through two large doors. He felt the beats vibrate throughout his chest. Looking around, he noted the people cluttering the building. There were groups of young girls gossiping and taking shots, some men downing a few beers at the bar, a few people on the dance floor swaying their hips to the music. Now this was more like it. It was lively. It was interesting. The clinking of glass drew his attention to the bar. There were three bartenders, serving drinks left and right. Perfect! He wouldn't have to wait long to get something. 

Jack casually strolled up to the bar and took a seat on of the empty stools. He view the drinks lining the mirrored wall behind the bar. So much to choose from. Before he could really see their entire collection, a slender man with slicked back hair appeared before him, glass in hand. "What can I get for you hand- H-handsome Jack!" The man stuttered out his name as his eyes went wide. Jack smirked at the recognition. "Holy crap! It's an honor to have you here, sir." The man gushed, setting his glass down. Jack chuckled, waving him off. "Call me Jack, kiddo. That sir crap is just annoying." He confided. Gem, as his name tag read, nodded eagerly. 

"What can I get for you, Jack." He grinned happily as he said Jack's name. Jack glanced past him, unsure of what to get. He wanted to get his usually whiskey on the rocks but something about this club made him want to try something new. He wasn't all to sure what though. "Uh... How about you surprise me, cupcake?" He shrugged. Gem nodded and headed off to prepare the drink. "Make sure I'm actually able to taste the alcohol in it!" Jack called, sitting forward in his seat. Gem gave him a thumbs up before continuing to prepare his drink. 

Jack watched him curiously for a moment before deciding to look around again. He wondered if he'd be able to spot his slacking employees. With a quick sweep over the patron in the bar, he found nothing. He didn't see anyone wearing the Hyperion logo or anyone really wearing the Hyperion colors. As a matter of fact, most of the patrons and the bar itself was that familiar blue. The lights, the accents, even some of the drinks were that blue. The more he noticed the color, the more his stomach began to twist. All of his confidence slowly began to drain. He suddenly felt small. Why did this color make him feel so off? 

"Here you go, Jack." Gem's voice brought him back from his thoughts. Turning to the man, Jack came to face the same blue drink so many were enjoying in the club. Gem simply smiled at him. "One siren song." He pushed the drink closer to Jack, eager for him to drink it. "It's a Cryo Crisis specialty." he added before glancing to the clock on the wall. "Please enjoy. I'll be back momentarily." Gem excused himself, completely oblivious to the panic attack Jack was having. 

Jack eyed the drink, his heart going a mile a minute. He knew what the color reminded him off. Angel. 'You're an asshole.' His gut twisted again as the memories of her flooded his mind. He scrunched up his nose and began to curl into himself. This was the first time Jack had a panic attack outside of his bedroom. He didn't want anyone to know he was freaking out. He couldn't let anyone know the famous Handsome Jack was having a panic attack. He just couldn't. But what could he do?

He glanced at the drink before him and immediately cringed. He thought about downing the blue drink in hopes of drowning his sorrows but the sight of the drink just made his stomach knot. He couldn't handle trying to drink it. Jack then tried focusing on the music in the club. Maybe some background noise would help. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, the loud music had stopped and all he could really hear was the soft whispers of the other bar patrons along with Angel's angry final words buzzing around in his head. Where had the music gone? Why wasn't there anything to help him! 'You're an as-'

"You make my heart spin sorrow into silk"

A new, velvety voice broke his troubling thoughts. The soft tone of the voice made Angel's words melt away almost instantly. Slowly sitting up again, Jack saw Gem standing before him again with a concerned look on his face. He said something to Jack but he couldn't hear it over the voice. Jack swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and turned towards the source of the new honeyed voice. That was when he saw you, blue tattoos and all.


	2. Move you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to introduce a lonely reader.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song for the chapter: Silk by giselle  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_IhJq-Jpdc

Light poured into your room as Gem cracked your door open. You gave a low groan and rolled onto your side, your back facing the source of light. "______." Your friend, and boss, called softly. You crammed your face deeper into your pillow, trying your best to ignore him. "Come on, ________." He called again, pushing the door open. The light flooded your room. "Nooooooo...." You whined into your pillow, just loud enough for him to hear you. Gem snorted and strolled towards your bed. "Alright... Don't say I haven't warned you." Before you could protest further, he gripped your blanket and yanked it away. You gasped and curled in on yourself. 

"You're so meeeaaaan!" You complained while hugging yourself. Gem wadded the blanket into a ball and tossed it across the room. "I know, I know. I'm your wicked stepmother for not letting you sleep all day." He huffed, rolling his eyes, as he set his hands on his hips. "And you really need to invest in some pajamas." He scolded playfully. You shot him a glare. "Don't tell me how to live my life."

Gem snorted again and sighed. "Come on. You have to get up and get ready. You've pretty much slept through whatever kind of hang over you could of had." You huffed and rolled onto your back before sitting up. "I don't get hangovers." You reminded him. "That's even more of a reason for you to get your butt out of bed.... not to mention I have a feeling tonight will be extra special." He added. You rose a brow as you pulled your legs up to your chest. "Here we go again.... what do your magic elf eyes see, o' great and powerful Gem." You deadpanned. 

"I am not an elf!" He quickly defended, stamping his foot. You snorted and got onto your knees. Without giving warning, you snagged his ear and gave a small tug. "I'unno.... they're looking pointier and pointier every day...." You gave a thoughtful hum as you looked at them. He immediately slapped your hand away and covered his ears. "They're not pointy!" He scowled. "Even if they were, it would be your fault anyways. You're always pulling on them." This earned a small laugh from you. Gem crossed his arms over his chest and groaned. "Just get ready. You've got a show to do." 

With that, Gem turned on his heel and headed for the door. "Take it easy with the flirting tonight. Some of those Hyperion workers are getting a little too clingy." He tossed before stepping through the doorway. "I thought you wanted more customers." You added. You watched him leave, waiting for the door to shut completely before flopping back down onto your bed. You gave a low frustrated groan as you set your hands over your eyes. Gem's last comment bothered you, always did, but you'd never tell him that. Why did it bother you? Well, you were lonely. You weren't lonely in every aspect. You had friends and such but romantically.... you were flat out starving for actual romantic attention. Flirting wasn't the best way to approach it but it was the best you could do. If you weren't a siren, maybe you'd have better luck. 

Sitting up again, you slid out of bed and headed towards your bathroom, grabbing a somewhat clean towel along the way. Might as well sulk in the shower to just get it over with. It was a daily routine, even when you managed to coax someone into your bed. You tossed the towel onto your sink counter and stepped into the shower, turning the water on without even thinking about how cold the water would be. The icy water hit you and you quickly adjusted the temperature before relaxing again, giving a small shudder. When the water became warm enough, you managed to drift back to your previous thoughts of loneliness.

You were a siren; a powerful being, able to kill people with your mind. Special abilities, amazing strength, and fast regeneration. None of that sounded sexy in your opinion. There was probably someone in the universe that could argue with you about it but you had yet to find them. The only thing the people of Elpis seemed to love about you was your voice. Like many well trained sirens, you had two basic abilities. From the little chats you had with Lilith, you could deduce she had two powers. She had fire and teleportation. You knew very little about Maya, the other siren. She could make these balls of energy that trap people. Any other ability she had, you were unaware of. You made a point to avoid talking to the two, well more like all, vault hunters, despite their many efforts of convincing you to join them on Pandora. 

There had been another siren Lilith had mentioned after attempting to warn you about Hyperion. During on of your little chats, you permitted Lilith to ramble on for about three hours. She told you everything she knew about the other siren, Angel. While her point may have been to scare you away from Hyperion and Handsome Jack, it just made you feel bad for the infamous CEO. Lilith tried to justify killing the poor girl with excuses like "There wasn't any other way," or "we didn't have enough time to figure anything else out". After her third or fourth excuse, however, you finally managed to shut her up. There was no justifying what they did, nothing justified what Handsome Jack did either but he wasn't coming to you making excuses like she was. 

There was nothing appealing about the idea of going to Pandora and living on a floating town full of potential psychos and bandits. No matter how hard they tried to tell you otherwise, the people of Sanctuary were literally five seconds away from becoming bandits. Half of them were unaware of the fact they were standing on a floating city. The other half wasn't aware the sky was freaking blue. The only reason you'd ever visit that crap hole would be to destroy Lilith's comm once and for all. Though, after your last little chat, she hadn't made any attempts to call you for the past two months. It was a true relief on your end. 

You gave a sigh and shook away the thoughts of Lilith and her group. That was enough of that. Time to think about something more productive.... like your songs. Grabbing your shampoo, you began to wash your hair while humming your latest creation. Soon you were actually singing it, your voice echoing off of the tiled walls. 

"Bending spoons with my mind,   
manifesting men of all kinds,   
in my spare times~"

You smiled to yourself some as you dipped your head back, rinsing out the bubbles in your hair.

"But, oh how I struggled in vain,  
to solve this riddle with my brain,   
when the answers in my hand~"

Grabbing the body wash next, you dumped a random amount into your palm and began to scrub it over your body, still singing to yourself. 

"So i'm going to move you... around,  
got to turn you inside out,  
yeah, I wanna move you, move you, around~"

\------

After your shower and prep song were over, you found yourself standing in front of your closet, looking at every article of clothing you had. What kind of look would you go for tonight? As far as you were aware, nothing special was planned for tonight so any type of formal was out of the question. If you didn't have to look all dolled up, you sure as hell wouldn't. You also didn't want to put effort into something flashy. If you were honest with yourself, you didn't really want to go on tonight but if what Gem said was true.... and it usually was, which was weird, you had to at least make a good impression for whoever was to come. 

As you looked through your clothes, the reflection of your wall mirror caught your eye. Turning to face the mirror, you looked yourself over. The one thing that really stuck out about you was your blue tattoos. You sighed as you moved your hand over the markings coating your arm and side. You hated them but loved them at the same time. You hated them for being such a telltale sign of being a siren. The only way to hide them was to put on copious amounts of make up or cover them with heavy clothes. Both methods were uncomfortable. Then you loved them because... well, they were you. You thought they were beautiful and enchanting, even if they repelled any chance of you finding someone to love you. It was such a love/hate situation.

Turning away from the mirror, you grabbed a random set of clothes and quickly put them on. It was about time for you to start and if you were late, Gem would probably, definitely kill you. 

\----

You took in a deep breath as you stood by the stairs leading to the stage. You clapped your hands together and exhaled, rolling your shoulders. Were you nervous? Nope. You were just psyching yourself up. The longer you had thought about what Gem had told you, the more excited you grew. What if you were going to meet someone like Torgue? Or what if a brawl was going to break out again? Those were so much fun at times. 

You slowly peeled back the curtains, looking at the crowd for the night. Just like every other night, the patrons looked tired and worn from whatever troubles had been plaguing them. A low sigh left you as your shoulders slumped. You saw no one of real importance, other than your usuals of course. Even then, your usuals looked so out of it. It took you a second to realize why they seemed so gone. It was nearing that time of the year again. 

You hadn’t been on Elpis at the time of the kragonning but from very story you’d ever heard, it was as bad as it gets. Many of your customers had nightmares and trouble with focusing around this time of the year. They came more frequently, which was good for business of course, but that didn’t change the fact that you felt bad for them.

It wasn’t all bad though. They came to you for a reason. You were the only one who could soothe them and shed them of their woes. One of your powers involved mind manipulation, in a sense. When you sang, you could change the way people thought. It was temporary and drained the hell out of you but you did it almost every night. 

Lilith had said you were possibly stronger than her because of this power. You knew for a fact that you were stronger but you didn’t tell her that. You had zero desire to start a war with her over strength…. Even though you could pummel her into the ground. 

“Hey. You ready?” Gem’s voice pulled you from your roaming thoughts. You looked to him and smiled, giving a nod. “When am I not?” You countered. Gem nodded and peaked out the curtains, an excited grin plastered on his face. “What? What’s with that face? Some guy give you his number and call you cute again?”

Your friend shut the curtains and turned to you, latching onto your shoulders. “Handsome jack is here!” He gushed, shaking you slightly. You stared at him what wide eyes. “W-what?” You stuttered out before shoving his hands off of you. You looked out now, trying to spot him. “Where is he?” You looked back at Gem. “He should be at the bar.” Gem stated, raising a brow. You looked again but saw no Handsome Jack. “I don’t see him.” Gem shook his head some. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll see him when you’re on stage.” He assured you as he climbed onto the stage. 

“Thank you for your patience, ladies and gentlemen.Without further hesitation, I give you Cryo Crisis’ special song bird, _______!” Gem announced. You sucked in another deep breath and exhaled as you climbed the stairs. He gave a reassuring smile as he stepped off of the stage. You took hold of the microphone and gave your best smile to your audience. They clapped and cheered at your appearance. 

You let your eyes roam over the crowd again, now able to see everyone. When your gaze reached the bar, you immediately spotted the infamous CEO. Holy freaking crap! It was in fact, the one and only, Handsome Ja-

Your eyes went wide and your gut twisted painfully as you took in the sight of him. He was hunched over, a pained expression on his face. His breaths were labored, causing his body to shake slightly. Your gaze flickered to gem for a quick second. He seemed just as worried about the man as you were. Of course the one time someone important like Handsome freaking Jack shows up, he goes into some kind of panic attack. Something inside of you screamed to help him. Save him from whatever kind of pain he was feeling. 

Swallowing the knot that had formed in your throat, your tattoos lit up and you took in a deep breath. Without a second of hesitation, you began to sing.

“You make my heart spin sorrow into silk~”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look kiddos, I'm sorry these chapters are coming really slow. I' have been busy the last few weekends. Whenever i'm not working, one of my friends just decides to show up and i have to entertain them and just ugh. It's been hellish. Anyways, i'm hoping now that things are calming down again, i can start posting at least every weekend again. thanks again for your comments and kudos. I really don't deserve them after making you wait so long.


	3. Sorrow to Silk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get heated ;3c

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE UPDATE!!!!!!! Sup Kiddos. I'm still alive. Things just really really really bad and a bunch of shitty stuff happened. Now i'm moved and i find myself with a bit of free time. So boom update. I'll update the others as well. Idk when but soon probably.

"You make my heart spin sorrow into silk  
You make me sleep like a young child with warm milk  
You held me tighter when I pushed you away  
You turn my sorrow into silk  
You turn my sorrow~"

Your bright (e/c) eyes met Jack's mismatched one as your sang. The fact that you managed to shake him from his panic attack and make eye contact was exactly what you wanted. You'd never used your powers to free someone from their old traumas like that. You felt so much better being able to see his face instead of watching him crumble in on himself. You gave a small smile at him and continued. 

"You make my heart spin sorrow into silk  
You make me sleep like a young child with warm milk  
You held me tighter when I pushed you away  
You turn my sorrow into silk  
You turn my sorrow  
Sorrow(Superb, superb)  
Sorrow(Superb, superb)  
Sorrow"

Jack could actually breath. He didn't feel weight on his shoulder or his heart trying to collapse on itself form the pressure he constantly felt. When his eyes met yours, he did feel something stir in him, however, nothing unpleasant thankfully. It felt like his heart did a flip or was being squeezed. That sounds terrifying but it didn't feel wrong to him. When that smile appeared on your face, heat took over him. It crept up the back of his neck and under his skull. It felt familiar but he didn't recognize it. 

"I'll make your heart spin sorrow into silk  
I'll stay awake when you can't get to sleep  
I promised myself, if I pushed you away  
I'd turn your sorrow into silk  
I'd turn your sorrow  
Sorrow(Superb, superb)  
Sorrow"

The song was shorter than your others but it seemed the most effective, especially at this moment. The infamous CEO before you seemed almost blissful by the time you finish. You lowered the microphone and looked at the rest of your audience. Much like Jack, they seemed to be at complete ease and carefree. A small sigh left you. You had only meant to help the one person, not everyone. Oh well. Never hurt to be extra kind. You smiled at the crowd and waved. 

"Thank you~ I know I promised a little more rock in tonight's song but I thought you all looked a little drained. Hope you aren't to bummed." You gave an apologetic look. A gracious cheer was your answer. Of course they'd be grateful. You knew most of these people would die for your, literally, life changing voice. You turned and began to walk off of the stage. You only ever sang one song a night, two if you were feeling it. Doing more than that usually drained your for days. Your usual fans were waiting at the bottom of the steps. They we young girls, all just barely old enough to be in the bar. They always waiting for you after your finished your song just to say how much they loved the it, even if they had heard it many times before. 

"Hello ladies. Glad to see you again." You greeted them. The leader, a girl with over sized glasses and a smile that went for days, threw her arms in the air with excitement. "That was amazing _______! It's your best song!" She squealed. You snorted at her eagerness. "Thank you. I'm happy you like it so much." Another girl, bright evergreen eyes and freckles, moved closer. "Of course we liked it. We love you!" You laughed lightly and reached out to her, petting her head gently. "it means so much to me to see you girls every night. I love you too." You meant that. These girls came every night just to tell you that they loved you, they loved your voice and songs. They were always sweet to you and eager when you even breathed in their direction. 

"I want to talk more, girls, but I have someone important I have to go talk to. I'm sure Gem is more than happy to serve you a drink. Tell him I'll pay for one each okay. Try not to cost me an arm and leg." With that, you squeezed between them and made your way to the bar. They more or less followed but parted as soon as they reached the first few seats they saw. You continued on towards the infamous CEO. He still seemed very much in a state of bliss and was very unaware of you approaching. 

Gem looked at you as you reached them with surprise. "__________." You glanced at him, giving a quick smile before reaching out to touch Jack. "Hey handsome, you okay?" You set your hand on his shoulder and gave a light shake. He snapped out of his state of euphoria and looked at you with surprise. "Huh? What?" He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, obviously trying to figure out what just happened. You removed your hand form him and smiled brightly. "I asked if you were okay, handsome. You looked like you were having trouble over here." You set your hands behind your back, looking him over. 

Jack rubbed his eyes then looked at you. Your eyes met again and his heart squeezed again. "I'm.. uh." he cleared his throat quickly. "Of course I'm fine. I'm Handsome Jack, babe." He looked you over now, his attention going to your tattoos. You were really a siren. He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked back up at your face. "But you can call me anything you want." He put on a confident smirk, making you chuckle. 

"Well, I'm happy you're okay. Name's ___________. But you can call me whatever. Most common nickname is songbird." You held out your hand to shake his. Jack took your hand, giving it a more comfortable squeeze than he did with most people. "It's a pleasure to meet, pumpkin." He held your hand longer than you thought he would, and definitely stared into your eyes longer than normal would. Up close you noticed the mask encasing his face. How strange. You knew he wore a mask but when you thought of mask, you thought of something more along the lines of masquerade ball masks. The closer you looked at his face, the more you noticed. He had a charming streak of grey in his hair, metal clasps near his temples and his chin, and finally his eyes. One was as deep blue as an ocean, the other was greener than any of scenery you'd seen while in the highlands of Pandora. 

Jack finally released your hand and slicked back his hair. You put your hand back behind your back and smiled again. "So, what brings Hyperion's top dog to a place like this. We usually get some of your guards but never anyone higher than that. Celebrities aren't too common for cryo crisis." You moved closer to the bar stools, leaning against an open one. Jack watched you, trying to think up a good lie for his presence. "Well, kitten, being CEO gets a little tiring. I figured I would see what the big deal behind this place. It's like you said. My guys come here a lot and won't shut up about it."

You laughed and rubbed the back of your neck. "Well I hope we reached your expectations, handsome." You said calmly. "I don't say this about many things, but I'm impressed pumpkin. Good atmosphere, good music, the bouncer kinda sucks but minor details." He chuckled. "I will say, I wasn't expecting this place having someone as interesting as you though." You blushed slightly at this. "When my guys said this place had the best singer, I thought they were just blowing smoke out of their asses. They weren't lying about your voice.... or your looks." He smirked and winked. You're face went completely red at his and you had to look away. 

"O-Oh. thank you." Your heart squeezed and you internally cursed yourself. You hated when you felt that squeeze. It meant you had a crush. All of your crushes eventually crashed and burned. Not to mention he was an infamous CEO known for having a vendetta against sirens. You looked up at him, catching that wink and feeling the squeeze against. You're brain said "bitch don't do it" but your heart said "Let's get fucked up." You took in a deep breath and moved closer, wrapping your arms around Jack's bicep. "I'm still not convinced you're okay. How about we get to know each other in the back? Just so I can be sure." 

Jack grinned and nodded. "sounds like a plan pumpkin. Lead the way." You giggled and pulled him along. All the while your brain screamed "Why are you like this?!" You pushed those thoughts aside and weaved through the bar patrons, waving at Gem who was giving you a displeased look as he poured your fan group drinks. You already knew you were going to get an earful tomorrow but whatever. If you were going to be lonely, might as well live dangerously. 

\----

You and jack had settled in the VIP section, you sitting almost right in his lap. Jack seemed more than content with that though. He was pleased with the setting as a whole. The VIP room was a nice deep blue, too dark for Jack to have another panic attack over. The seats were more cushion than anything else and the table was an optional piece, it had been pushed into the ground before you had arrived, which made it easier to be so close. It was made for those special parties where everyone is making out or getting shit faced because they all became old enough to actually drink. You can't make out with someone if there's a table literally cutting into your back while you straddle someone. 

You weren't sure how much time had passed, your sure Jack wasn't aware either. You were talking about random things but you both were so interested in what the other had to say that it felt like a personal talk. Jack talked about all of his accomplishes as a hero. You talked about your singing and interests. You ordered drinks at one point. One of the other servers brought you a shot each then some whiskey, per Jack's request. You were more than happy he ordered whiskey. If anyone was a die hard whiskey fan it was you. The shots came first. The whiskey took a little longer. He wanted the entire bottle of a very specific expensive whiskey. While you waited for it to arrive you chatted more. 

The server finally came with the whiskey, cheerful smile on her face. "Here you go, Handsome Jack." She set it on one of the widespread arm rests. Jack smirked and nodded. "Thanks kiddo." She smiled back before leaving. "About time we had some real drinks." Jack began to reach for the bottle but you stopped him by tossing your legs into his lap and reaching over him. Now you were actually in his lap. While you opened the bottle, Jack sat there, unsure what to do with his hands. 

Was he supposed to set them around your waist or was that not allowed. Part of him wanted to touch you since it felt like the right thing to do but he was afraid of making you uncomfortable with him. While he'd been chatting away with you for possibly the last two or three hours, he'd been thinking over what he could do with you. You were a powerful siren. You had this amazing ability to change the way people thought. Or at least that's how he saw it. Mind control was always a trick Jack wanted to have up his sleeve. 

He wasn't a moron though. After dealing with Lilith and Maya, he understood just what happens when someone messes with a siren. You definitely appeared much more powerful that the two of them. Mind control definitely outranked fire and prison spheres. He also wondered if Lilith and her gang knew about you. He hoped not. He didn't need them coming in with their "holier than thou" rescue party. He'd have your power before they could. Even if he had to forcefully take it. 

You finally managed to twist the lid off and fill two glasses with the expensive liquor. You tried to hand a glass to Jack but he seemed so lost in thought. Without a second thought, you pressed the cold drink against his masked cheek. He jumped slightly after it's chill seeped through his mask. Blinking, he looked at the drink then at you. You smiled at him and set the glass in his hand. "Lost in thought there, handsome?" You joked. Jack chuckled and set his hand on your hip. "It's nothing." He answered before taking a sip. You shrugged and drank down half of yours. Setting the glass down on the arm rest, you leaned into him. 

Jack froze again for a quick second as you pressed against his chest. His heart squeezed and his thoughts of power blanked. When he finally managed to regain his thoughts, he relaxed and set his drink down. "So what's a sweet thing like you doing on Elpis?" The question was casual but also personal enough to make you actually think. Was it a good idea to share personal stuff with someone you just met? Fuck it. You were in his lap, drinking and having fun. Let loose. 

"Family wanted to live here I guess. Decided to stay after all that mess. It was Elpis or Pandora and you know how Pandora is." You shrugged as you reach up and began to play with Jack's stopwatch. Jack chuckled. "If anyone knows Pandora better it's me." He reached over and grabbed his drink. Not the direction he wanted the conversation to turn. Talk of Pandora always boiled his blood. He quickly down the rest of drink. "I will say, I'm a little glad I picked Elpis. If I had picked Pandora, I don't think our meeting would have been as nice~" You cooed. Jack's heart did three flips at that. He managed to put on a confident smirk. "I don't think it would have been too bad. I'm a hero after all. Heroes are always a sucker for the kind and pretty." 

You blushed. He was so confident when he said that. A lump formed in your throat and you weren't sure how to reply. Usually when you flirted, all you got was some half slurred garbage about how you'd be a good lay. Never how good you looked or personality. Nervously now, you continued to toy with his stop watch. "Aww did I make you nervous, kitten?" You blushed harder and shook your head. "N-no." he laughed and reached to fill his glass again. You again beat him to it. "Let me." You took both of your glasses and filled them a little but more than before. Jack gladly took his back, eyeing how much was in it. 

"You're not trying to get me drunk are you, pumpkin?" He chuckled, swirling the liquor in his glass. You giggled and drank down half of your again. "If this little bit manages to get you drunk, I'll be a little disappointed. I thought the great Handsome Jack knows how to have a good time." You teased. Jack grinned and downed all of the whiskey in his glass before setting it down. "It's going to take more than a single bottle to get me drunk." he said in a challenging tone. You shot him a confident grin before downing the rest of yours. 

\------

You finished that bottle of whiskey with him then ordered another. You were definitely past feeling the buzz at this point. He was still in the buzzed phase but he wasn't to far behind you. You swirled the liquor in your glass before sighing. Jack rose a brow at you. You set your glass down and snuggled against him. "Yer so much nicer then everyone seas you are." Jack chuckled. "I'm a hero. What are you talking about?" He rubbed your back carefully. You ran your hand over his chest, making him ease almost entirely. "I've heard so many stories but here ya are, lettin' me cuddle on up to ya and get all personal." You nuzzled into his neck without thinking. 

"What stories?" He asked. 

"There's some stories 'bout you hurtin' people cuz you can... or that yew are an asshole...." You frowned. "I don't believe them..." You muttered. Jack chuckled and rested his head against yours. "Of course you don-" "The dumbest one is that yew are horrible at kissin' and sex." That made him pause. "What?" You nuzzled him. "Yeah. they say yew just say your goods at it." Jack actually frowned at this supposed rumor. He was the best at sex. He was actually getting mad over this small thing. Maybe he had drank to much.

Before he could break his glas or throw a fit however, you cupped his face and kissed him. It was sloppy and you had to reposition your lips on his twice before you were content. Jack froze for a good few seconds. You pulled back before his mind could register what was happening. "See! I knew they were lyin'." You announced. Jack stared at you wide eyed. You simply snorted and gave a slightly drunk smile. "Cyuuuuuute and a good kisser~" You sang slightly as you booped his nose. 

He blinked at you before chuckling. "you really shouldn't do things you're too drunk to remember, kitten." he warned. You frowned and pouted. "I'm not that drunk yet. Watch I'll do it again." You leaned forward and kissed him again, this time a little better aimed. He gave a very small kiss back this time. "Ha! You kissed back this time." You giggled then kissed him again. Jack gave a real kiss in return this time. You only parted for a second this time before you were suddenly making out. You were suddenly straddling Jack's lap, arms wrapped casually around his neck while his arms were snaked tightly around your waist. 

You tangled your fingers into his hair while he lightly clawed at your back. Well this is not how you saw your night going but you weren't complaining. After a good, long, and very heated make out session, you pulled back and licked your lips. "Let's take this to my room handsome. Gem would kill me if we ruin his nice VIP room." You gave him those bedroom eyes and Jack nodded vigorously. You both got up quickly, you taking his hand before leading the way. Jack snagged the half empty whiskey bottle and followed along eagerly. 

\------

You didn't even have your door open before you were locking lips again. You more or less stumbled into the room, Jack carelessly kicking the door shut with his foot. You giggled between kiss as you pulled at each other's clothes. You eagerly pulled jack towards you bed by his shirt collar. Stopping just beside your bed, you began to make out once more. It was nothing more than tongue, quick pants and soft moans. Jack finally moved to you neck, biting you just right. You moaned and pulled him down onto the bed with you. 

Jack continued to attack you neck as you began to pull off his clothes. You didn't notice the five layers of clothes until now. You gave a groan. "Too much." You muttered. Jack stopped and looked at you. "huh?" You smiled at his disheveled hair and half removed clothes. What a sexy image. "nothing." You kissed him again and pushed off whatever you could. The last bit of clothing was a yellow sweater. You had to push him back a little to remove it, though he fought to keep marking you up. 

He finally caught onto what you were doing though. It took him seconds to catch up to you with this game of "how fast can I remove their clothes" game. It didn't take long for you both to be in your underpants. You were content for the next few minutes like this. You gladly resumed the kissing and groping. There was something that caught your eye a lot while you kissed. He had many scars. They weren't all the same. Some were long and stretched over his body, others were small and probably form bullets. If that wasn't sexy nothing else would be. 

You turned the two of you over, pinning jack to the bed now. He looked up at you, slightly out of breath. Geez what a sexy image. You enjoyed the view for a good second before deciding it was your turn to mark him up. You kissed and bit at his throat, leaving small and faint marks at first. Once you were below his collarbone, the real marks began. You'd stop every so often to kiss a nearby scar. To your surprise, Jack was a little noisier than you imagined. It was good to hear his groans and moans. 

Moving down, you tugged his underpants down and licked your lips. Jack watched you, biting his lip in anticipation. You gave him what he wanted of course. At first it was simply stroking but then you ran your tongue over it. He shuttered and tossed his arm over his face. You could only assume it was to hide a blush, if he was blushing. Just like before, he was noisy, but you love it. He had delicious moans. You weren't surprised when his fingers were resting against the back of your head. You smirked and swirled your tongue around it teasingly. 

When you stopped randomly, Jack peered down at you. You smirked and dropped your underpants. "Can't let you have all of the fun~" You cooed as you climbed over him. You kissed his roughly, which he gladly returned. It didn't take him long to turn you over again. he smirked down at you before moving down. He left a trail of kisses down your body, making you squirm. It didn't take more than a few seconds to make you a moaning, panting mess. Just like you did to him, he stopped before you could reach your high. You looked at him as he got back over him. 

"Only fair if we finish together." He grinned. You wrapped your arm around his neck as he lifted you up further onto the bed. He sat between your legs, rubbing your thighs. You quickly reached for your nightstand and pulled out a condom and lube. He took them with no objections. When everything was on and readied, he positioned himself and gave you a deep, rather passionate kiss. You kissed back eagerly before letting out a loud moan as he pushed it. 

The rest of the night was a huge blissful blur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder how the next morning goes. ;3c


End file.
